Book Description

Los Angeles Detective Wendell Book is the last hope for a desperate runaway with a strange story to tell. She claims that memories of past lives and a mysterious golden ring she calls "the King's X" have brought an ancient enemy to her trail. All Book knows for sure is that this man - known only as a "Shepherd" - is real, he's after the girl, and he's leaving bodies in his wake.

"it is really like a modern, real-world twist on Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. It takes the previous ages of the earth notion... cuts away all the fantasy stuff and very convincingly brings the ring into our world. To Los Angeles, in fact." Amazon Reader Review

King's X: Visions is Book 1 of 3. A single volume Anthology is also available wherever King's X books are sold.

Book 1 also features a sneak preview of Stephen T. Harper's upcoming novel, CORSAIR.

More Praise for King's X

"This is a 'stand up and take notice' story from a truly gifted writer. The most original adventure I've seen in years. "The Matrix" crossed with "The Da Vinci Code." King's X is dark, beautiful, and very provocative. I've had the story stuck in my head since the first time I read it." -- Ken Miller, Film and TV Producer

"Stephen T. Harper is a master of words. I stayed awake all night to finish, heart pounding, eyes bulging with every new twist, and the ending almost killed me!" --The Paperback Pursuer

"This is a very well thought-out book with lots of suspense, twists, and history. I give it 5 stars. If you love a good suspense/thriller, you'll love this book!" -- Paranormal Opinion

This book has grabbed me. ...really well written and I liked the author's style. Big thumbs up!" -- Booked Up

"...starts out mid-action and doesn't seem to slow down even when the author is describing delicate women in quiet moments with the men they care for... Pick up King's X. You won't be sorry." -- Into The Morning Reads

Los Angeles Detective Wendell Book is the last hope for a desperate runaway with a strange story to tell. She claims that memories of past lives and a mysterious golden ring she calls "the King's X" have brought an ancient enemy to her trail. All Book knows for sure is that this man - known only as a "Shepherd" - is real, he's after the girl, and he's leaving bodies in his wake.

"it is really like a modern, real-world twist on Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. It takes the previous ages of the earth notion... cuts away all the fantasy stuff and very convincingly brings the ring into our world. To Los Angeles, in fact." Amazon Reader Review

King's X: Visions is Book 1 of 3. A single volume Anthology is also available wherever King's X books are sold.

Book 1 also features a sneak preview of Stephen T. Harper's upcoming novel, CORSAIR.

More Praise for King's X

"This is a 'stand up and take notice' story from a truly gifted writer. The most original adventure I've seen in years. "The Matrix" crossed with "The Da Vinci Code." King's X is dark, beautiful, and very provocative. I've had the story stuck in my head since the first time I read it." -- Ken Miller, Film and TV Producer

"Stephen T. Harper is a master of words. I stayed awake all night to finish, heart pounding, eyes bulging with every new twist, and the ending almost killed me!" --The Paperback Pursuer

"This is a very well thought-out book with lots of suspense, twists, and history. I give it 5 stars. If you love a good suspense/thriller, you'll love this book!" -- Paranormal Opinion

This book has grabbed me. ...really well written and I liked the author's style. Big thumbs up!" -- Booked Up

"...starts out mid-action and doesn't seem to slow down even when the author is describing delicate women in quiet moments with the men they care for... Pick up King's X. You won't be sorry." -- Into The Morning Reads

Editorial Reviews

Review

"King's X belongs to that rare breed of books whose seemingly high-concept premise in fact shields a tightly crafted and deeply affecting story. Harper expertly balances character and conspiracy in a universe that will grab you from the very first chapter."

--John Walsh IV

Line ZeroMagazine (linezero.org)

From the Author

For more information about what's coming next from Stephen T. Harper, including contact information and how to get on our mailing list for a free copy of the upcoming CORSAIR, visit kingsxsaga.com.

King's X is a great thriller, which operates on a number of levels. First and foremost, the characters are interesting, complex, and well developed, and the pace of the action is fast, and the twists and turns are surprising and unpredictable. Underneath this big romantic action packed story, it is really like a modern, real-world twist on the J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings. It takes the previous ages of the earth notion of Lord of the Rings, cuts away all the fantasy stuff and very convincingly brings the ring into our world. To Los Angeles, in fact. There have been many famous "magic rings" in myths and legends of the world. Who's to say that King Solomon's legendary ring, supposedly given to him by God himself, didn't come from a lost time, or have power that seemed magic? Harper's story tracks the ownership of just such a magic ring through history, with vivid descriptions of what life was like in the near and distant past. If you're a student of history, or want to have fun learning a little bit of history, I highly recommend reading King's X.

I bought this for my son who asked for series books. He had read some with time travel to historical settings, so I thought this might interest him. I started reading it myself and actually stayed up till 2 am to finish the first one, then bought the second. It says it is addicting, and I agree. You definitely want to continue the story.

Here is what I like about it. First, the characters are pretty interesting. Sometimes when you read a thriller, the characters seem more of a tool to service the storyline instead of the other way around. If the characters are one-dimentional, the story will not be as compelling. I was impressed that this book has both interesting characters and compelling story. You do want to see where the characters go, but the story itself is enough to keep you reading. Having both elements makes it a real pleasure to read. When I read "paranormal" in the description, I wasn't sure what to expect. I like good writing and I read a lot of different kinds of books. The writing is what draws me. Normally I don't read a lot of fantasy, but I do like good thrillers. I think this is a really unique idea for a story and I can see where it really could go on forever. The possibilities for follow-on stories seem almost endless. It is easy to picture it as a tv series. There is a back story, and then the characters all have their stories that tie into the back story. I think the writing is quite good, and I would be interested in reading more. At 99 cents a pop, it's pretty cheap entertainment. That means for 4 bucks you are getting a full length novel.

The story itself moves between time periods and events in history, but it is really pretty seamless. If you read thrillers, you are familiar with the technique of switching back and forth in the "meanwhile, back at the ranch" way between chapters. When there is a cliffhanger kind of moment, the story switches to something else. With lots of thrillers, the book as a whole isn't really strong enough to maintain interest in this. I end up sort of skimming through the "boring" parts when the storyline switches back and forth. Not so in this book. The writing is fluid and very compelling. Each switch actually takes you to a separate story. The writing is good. You want to see where these characters are going, you want to discover what the connection is, because you know there is one. Anyway it is a variation on a commonly used technique that works very well here.

Bottom line, this is a real bargain for the money. These little novellas are short enough to read on a plane trip or in a day or two on your commute to and from work. I think if you read the first one, you will come back for more.Read more ›

I have not read a book as intense of a page turner since I read the Da Vinci code. I couldn't put KING'S X down. When I did put down the kindle to go to a dinner- I thought about it the entire meal. The characters come to life and following the detective in the late 1960's Los Angeles is as exciting as the story that takes place in 1291. I was cheering for the Detective in the streets of LA to the point I couldn't read it fast enough. It has the momentum of a great action film and just when you think they get away and can't run any further, another twist takes you down another vivid sequence. The characters are well thought out and I cared what happened to them. I have read 3 parts and I will be making time to read the next installment. I read all kinds of books but never thought I would be such a fan of this genre and the writer's work here. Absolute thrill ride that I have recommended to male and female friends. Please keep writing more KING'S X- I don't want the story to end.

This novella starts out mid-action and doesn't seem to slow down even when the author is describing delicate women in quiet moments with the men they care for. Which, definitely are not the key elements of the plot of this noir-esque story. There is a lot to absorb on the few pages of this first part. It's a giant feat to be able to fit so much character introduction and unveil at least enough of the wide-ranging plot to keep the reader wanting to log onto Barnes & Noble to read the next episode and Mr. Harper accomplishes it well.

The characters are developed well enough with the simplest of clues and statements that I quickly fell into the world being created. I especially enjoyed the historical segments as I have a fascination with the Crusades and Knights Templar. I felt the characters and description of settings was much richer and more colorful in these sections than in the more modern sections. I found myself more interested in what would happen with Sebastien and Khali than with Book, Molly, and Sara.

All in all, this was a nicely gritty, fun read. I'm impressed with the fortitude it must have taken to weave together something so complicated as I can already feel this story is going to be. Pick up King's X. You won't be sorry.

This is a very well thought-out book with lots of suspense, twists, and history. I give it 5 stars. This is a 4 episode series, each novella length. Through strong characterization, you become involved in the character's thoughts and actions. Knowing that the story is about reincarnation, makes it that much more intriguing. With the rapid introduction of new characters,it does leave you feeling confused in the beginning. The story takes time to set up, with so much going on. Stephen Harper has definitely done his research,and you can tell that a lot of thought has gone into this story.